TELECOMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIC PLAN MISSION …

1 TELECOMMUNICATIONS 11/15/2001 1 TELECOMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIC plan MISSION STATEMENT The TELECOMMUNICATIONS department provides reliable, modern, and integrated communications services to enable teaching, learning, research, and outreach. VISION STATEMENT The TELECOMMUNICATIONS Department will be a leader in enabling Texas Tech University to exchange thoughts and ideas through technology. Communications will empower students, faculty, and staff to reduce distance through collaboration. TELECOMMUNICATIONS 11/15/2001 2 GOALS, CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS, and OBJECTIVES (including Strategies and Assessments) Goal 1. Communication Infrastructure: Supply a highly reliable, effective, modern communications infrastructure.

2 Critical Success Factors (measures the degree of success over the next 5 years): Maintain network up time at Replace all shared Ethernet technology with switched Ethernet technology. Provide a 10 Gbps core backbone with 1 Gbps distribution to all crucial buildings. Make available 1000 Mbps desktop technology to requesting departments. Deploy wireless LAN technology to 10% of campus buildings. Objectives: Objective : Provide a reliable campus data backbone and LAN infrastructure to meet the instructional, research, and business needs of Texas Tech University. Strategies: Upgrade the core and distribution backbone infrastructure as required and funded to meet the needs of the University.

3 Provide cost-effective 10/100/1000 Mbps data access service to departments and classrooms as requested and funded. Deploy point-to-point wireless LAN/WAN technology when construction or lease of cable facilities is cost prohibitive or impractical. Work with Housing and Dining to upgrade the distribution networks within the residence halls. Install redundant firewalls and VPN concentrators. Extend the TTUnet backbone to the Reese campus and provide network access to the High Performance Computing Center and all other TTU facilities. Continually monitor network activity to access its performance level and ensure its operational integrity. Provide on-call support staff for the rapid restoration of service in the event of unscheduled outages.

4 TELECOMMUNICATIONS 11/15/2001 3 Assessments: Backbone network availability (excluding scheduled maintenance) is >= Core and distribution network bandwidth saturation < 80%. Objective : Maintain sufficient connectivity to the outside world to ensure operations. Strategies: Add Internet connectivity as demand requires. Maintain multiple circuit connections with diverse routes to ensure communication with the Internet is maintained. Provide cost-effective remote access to TTUnet from outside ISPs. Continue to provide inexpensive dial-up access to TTUnet. Provide wide-area network access to all remote campus locations including future Hill Country locations sufficient to meet the communications needs.

5 Assessments: Internet bandwidth saturation < 95%. Number of Internet Service Provider connections >= 2. Ratio of dial-up customers to lines <= 10:1. Objective : Develop and implement modern communications methodologies as they are needed. Strategies: Successfully deploy wireless LAN technology to campus departments as requested and funded. Integrate handheld computers and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) into the communications infrastructure. Develop audio/video and Voice-over-IP services on TTUnet. Provide campus phone service to remote TTU locations over the WAN infrastructure. Upgrade all shared Ethernet hubs to Ethernet switches. Assessment: Benchmarks against peers and ongoing industry trends.

6 TELECOMMUNICATIONS 11/15/2001 4 Goal 2. Network Security and STRATEGIC Assets: Provide a fully integrated, secure data and video network for Texas Tech University. Critical Success Factors (measures the degree of success over the next 5 years): Use a synchronized, single username/password authentication service to access all IT on-line services. Password-authenticate and data encrypt remote access to TTU intranet services from the Internet. Rapidly locate any network-attached computer upon request by the Texas Tech Police Department or other law enforcement agency. Rapidly terminate access to any network-attached device that threatens the operational integrity of the network.

7 Objectives: Objective : Increase network security to mitigate the University s exposure to unauthorized intrusions and denial of service attacks. Strategies: Develop a written network security and access policy. Implement periodic security audits and report the compliance results to the Vice President of Information Technology. Proactively scan data network to locate systems and services with potential security problems and/or security policy violations. Detect network intrusion attempts and denial-of-service attacks on MISSION -critical servers and network services. Install firewalls in front of IT Division server farms to improve the robustness to attacks and reduce exposure to hacking.

8 TELECOMMUNICATIONS will provide general network intrusion detection service, and proactively take steps necessary to ensure the operational integrity of the network. Centrally manage and operate to the port and device level all Texas Tech University data communications networks within 3 years. Maintain an up-to-date cable plant database, which indicates each outlet and the corresponding network device to which it is connected. Provide secure Internet access to TTUnet with virtual private networking service. TELECOMMUNICATIONS 11/15/2001 5 Assessments: Detect ion rates of network-based attacks. Detect ion rates of host-based vulnerabilities. Location of outlet locations when requested by law enforcement agencies.

9 Objective : Provide authentication and digital certificate services to enable students, faculty, and staff to access needed information on-line. Strategies: With eRaider network accounts, provide the basis for a centrally administered, single- username/password authentication scheme. Develop eRaider authentication services for, but not limited to, NT , Windows 2000, UNIX/Linux, VMS, and IBM mainframe systems. Develop a public-key infrastructure (PKI) service to provide digital certificates for e-Commerce initiatives. Assessments: Percentage of students and employees having an eRaider account. Availability of digital certificates. Objective : Operate and administer Texas Tech University s local and wide-area networks as a STRATEGIC resource.

10 Strategies: Centrally manage and operate to the port and device level all TTU data communications networks within 3 years. Review and approve all network equipment purchases to ensure proper interoperation, to provide consistent manageability, and eliminate duplicative or inconsistent expenditures. Create a university-wide ability for all members of the TTU community to obtain telecommunication services. Provide a Network Operations Center to operate, and maintain the University s data and video network. Assessments: Percentage of all data and video communications that is centrally installed, managed, and operated by the IT Division. Benchmarking costs, level, types of service, and degree of integration relative to peers.